Ecological and Social Transition Policy at CY Cergy Paris University: Focusing on Climate and Biodiversity Actions

This responsibility is particularly relevant in the global context, highlighted by the recommendations of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) and IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services), as well as Jean Jouzel’s report and the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research’s Climate and Biodiversity Plan.

The ecological and social transition has now become an integral part of the priorities of all higher education institutions. For several years, CY Cergy Paris University has been dedicated to this approach and aims to actively contribute by combining knowledge transfer to society with training designed to equip current and future generations to tackle the significant challenges of the 21^st century.

To achieve this, CY Cergy Paris University has developed a roadmap structured around three main axes.

• Territorial: Focusing on sustainable, supportive, and innovative campuses.
• Academic: Providing purposeful education and research addressing environmental and social transition challenges.
• Functional: Collaborating to achieve the objectives set for 2030.

At present, CY’s Deputy General Management of the Transition is working on developing a greenhouse gas emissions inventory. While only 15% of higher education institutions in France have conducted this regulatory inventory in 2023, CY is prioritising its integration into its functional agenda.

The objectives of the greenhouse gas emissions inventory are as follows:

• Identify and evaluate emitting sectors through a comprehensive approach.
• Prioritise emissions based on activities and sources.
• Assess the university’s reliance on fossil fuel consumption.
• Propose a short and medium-term action plan to reduce these emissions.

The emissions inventory aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption voluntarily.

Furthermore, CY is committed to biodiversity and has prioritized it within its functional axis through cross-cutting renaturation projects and academic research, such as the Biodiversity Chair. The Biodiversity Chair comprises CY Cergy Paris University, CY Foundation, Cergy-Pontoise Agglomeration Community, and several private companies. The objectives of the initiative are as follows:

• Identify, protect, and enhance the “vernacular” biodiversity present in our territory.
• Restore a green network on the affiliated campuses.
• A foster collaboration among the university, local authorities, businesses, and residents.
• Develop research and training activities related to biodiversity.

The Biodiversity Chair has initiated several activities, including the biodiversity awareness campaign “Fresk". Currently, there are 20 trained animators and two groups of master’s and IUT Biological Engineering students who have participated in the Fresk. In September 2023, all second-year Science and Technology students will also raise awareness among 1200 individuals about the decline of biodiversity. The Chair also supports various activities, such as biodiversity preservation theses. It also oversees the “Biodiversity Performance Contract", aiming to renature a site at the university with student participation (Neuville Campus) and restore the Hammerson hedge along the A15 motorway, among other projects.

In addition, as part of the functional axis, CYU has recently revised the specifications for maintaining green spaces on the university campus with specific objectives in mind:

• The establishment of meadows adorned with melliferous seeds cultivated in the landscape adds to the diversity of flora
• Adaptation of lawn mowing practices to ensure the preservation of biodiversity
• A complete elimination of phytosanitary products, encompassing all substances
• Implementing an eco-pasture by introducing four sheep to graze on the campus’ green space in Gennevilliers